Code Geass R3
by Malloyy
Summary: My own extension of my favorite anime/manga series, Code Geass. Based on the original Japanese ending in which Lelouch survives because of the Code he took from Emperor Charles zi Britannia.
1. Chapter 1

_**Code Geass R3**_

_**Chapter 1**_

_"All I want and need to be happy is to be with you, Lelouch!"_

_ "Suzaku… You will live on always wearing that mask…"_

"_They say Geass is the power of the king…"_

Lelouch woke up on his beach towel, stood up, and stretched. He looked down at the empty towel next to him. He checked his surroundings and shook his head.

"Where could she have gone off to now…?" he said to himself. "Maybe I should worry about her so much…" He closed his eyes and thought about his dream. Flashbacks from the day he gave up his title as Zero, and as the 99th Emperor of the Holy Empire of Britannia. _How strange, _he thought. _My original intentions were to destroy Britannia and create a world where Nunnally could be happy… and now she's the Empress._

He thought about Suzaku, Shirley, Euphy, Kallen, the Black Knights, and everyone else he hurt, especially Nunnally. _How I wish I could go back and do things differently. _

"You should really stop beating yourself up over that. You achieved your goal, after all."

C.C. had appeared in front of Lelouch after he opened his eyes. "Where did you run off to?" he asked her.

"Don't change the subject. Stop blaming yourself up over something that happened two years ago."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

" You know damn well what I'm talking about. You know that none of that was your fault."

"What about Shirley and Euphy? They died because of me."

"Shirley died because of Rolo's selfishness. He wanted you all to himself, and didn't want to see you reunited with Nunnally." C.C. said.

"And Euphy? I killed her myself."

"That wasn't your fault either. You had no control over your Geass."

_Geass… _Lelouch thought. _If only I still had my Geass. _Lelouch opened his hand and stared at the Code symbol on his palm, the same one C.C. had on her forehead.

"This is what kept me alive," Lelouch said, looking back up at C.C. "It's also the reason I lost my Geass. It makes me feel so… powerless."

"You're anything but powerless," C.C. assured him. "Hell, you're immortal. You also have the power to bestow Geass onto anyone you choose."

"Anyone, huh?" Lelouch replied. He then shook his head. "No. Geass is a curse. I hurt almost all the people I love with it. I still have nightmares of the day I kill Euphy, and the day I found Shirley…" He couldn't bring himself to finish what he was thinking.

"Lelouch, your Geass created a world where Nunnally could be happy. Shouldn't that be reason enough for you to forgive yourself? You achieved your goal, and now you can live peacefully."

"I can't bring back the dead, C.C. And now that I don't have my Geass, I can't erase the memories of those I hurt. How I wish I could make them forget."

_How I wish I could make myself forget…_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

Clemont sat in his rotating chair, watching Lloyd and Cecile making the final adjustments. "I'm getting impatient, Lloyd."

"Oh, be quiet, Warrant Officer Harmen." Lloyd snapped. "This is a Ninth Generation Knightmare Frame, it needs some tuneup."

_Why was I even assigned a Knightmare? _Clemont thought. _Britannia hasn't been at war since 2018._ "Lloyd, what's the point of building a Ninth Generation Knightmare Frame just for me when we're not even at war?"

"Princess Cornelia ordered it," Cecile answered. "Some sort of mission in the E.U."

"The E.U.? Are we looking to start another conflict with them or something?"

"Of course not," Lloyd replied without looking up from his computer. "Empress Nunnally is doing everything in her power to keep us out of any wars. What a sweet girl she is."

"I guess you're right." Clemont sat back in his chair. He stared up at the ceiling, wondering why Cornelia could possibly want him to go to the E.U. "Wait, why am I getting a special Knightmare? Why aren't I just piloting a Sutherland like before?"

"The Princess says that you're being put in charge of the team being sent to the E.U." Lloyd said.

"How am I supposed to lead a team when I don't even know what my mission is?" Clemont asked.

"You'll be given your orders when you arrive. What I do know is that a team that was sent there to assist in stopping a resistance movement suddenly disappeared. I'm guessing your job is to find that team."

_Disappeared? What does he mean they disappeared? They died? They were taken hostage? There's no way that some cheap resistance imitation Sutherlands could possibly take down a team of experienced Britannian Knightmare Pilots. _Clemont was just trying to reassure himself. He had always been rather timid, which is why his parents were shocked that he made the decision to join the military. He was terrified of dying, and he wasn't fearless like Princess Cornelia and her Royal Guard. And now he had been put in charge of other peoples' lives? Despite all of this, Clemont knew that he couldn't back out. _Maybe, if I do well on this mission, Princess Cornelia will notice me. Maybe she'll even be knighted. _He shook his head, remembering what his father told him. _Don't get your hopes up. In all likelihood, you'll just end up disappointed. _Still, Clemont was determined to show his skills on the battlefield should the opportunity arise.

"The final adjustments are complete, Clemont," Lloyd said. "Come see for yourself."

Cecile unveiled the Knightmare to show Clemont the finished project.

It was a tall, metallic gold humanlike Knightmare, From what Clemont could see, it was equipped with dual Hadron Cannons and an advanced float system that Clemont didn't recognize.

"Those Hadron Cannons are twice as powerful as the ones on the Guwain, and the float system is equipped with jets that can give you a speed boost at the cost of a little extra energy," Lloyd explained. "But that's not all. The energy fillers are now fueled by solar energy. That means that as long as you regulate the energy you're using, you won't have to worry about running out."

"Does it have a name?" Clemont inquired.

"Of course of course, I almost forgot," Lloyd was blushing. "Warrant Officer Harmen, I give you the Goliath."

Upon arrival in Ireland, Clemont made contact with Princess Cornelia.

"My lady, we've arrived in the E.U. and area awaiting your orders."

"Excellent. Now that you've arrived, you and your squad are to search for any signs of the missing team. The last time we heard from them before their signal was lost, they were about 50 miles west of your location. Get moving, because if this is a terrorist plot like we suspect, they must be stopped. We don't want another Black Knight incident. The last thing we need is our greatest ally being usurped by terrorists."

"It will be done, my lady, "Clemont replied. He sighed and fell back in his cockpit seat. _What a woman, _he thought. He sat there for almost a minute before he heard a voice from one of the Sutherland units.

"Sir?" the voice said. "We need to be moving out, don't we?"

"Ah, shit, you're right," Clemont said, embarrassed. He examined his team. _Nineteen Sutherlands and a Gawain. _"Team, assume formation L-18."

The Sutherlands lined up in two rows of nine, with one at the back moving backwards to keep watch. Clemont and the Gloucester pilot were positioned at the front. Clemont looked at the Gawain pilot.

"You, in the Gloucester. What's your name?" Clemont asked.

"Corporal Samuel Herth, at your service," he replied. "Is there a problem, sir?"

"Why aren't you in a Sutherland like everyone else?"

"I've been assigned to be your second in command for this mission," Samuel replied. "I'll do my best to make this mission a success."

"Halt!" Clemont ordered the team. All the Knightmares stopped in their tracks. Clemont examined his surroundings.

_This is where Cornelia said the team disappeared, _he thought. A modest, very small town stood in front of him and his team. _This can't be right._

Clemont and his team moved forward. As they were about to exit their Knightmares, however, Clemont's controls stopped responding.

"What the hell?" Clemont muttered. He looked back at his team and saw that they were having similar issues. "Is anyone's Knightmare still functioning properly?" Clemont asked his team. Before any of them could respond, a woman's voice, seeming to come from all directions, greeted them.

"Oh, the Britannian Knightmares. We've been expecting you. How do you like my Gefjun Disturber?"


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

Sipping his coffee, Lelouch flipped through the pages of the Hiroshima newspaper he had picked up at the stand outside of the coffee shop.

"C.C., look at this. It seems there's been a revolution in the E.U."

C.C.'s eyes widened. "Really? Let me see that." She read the article titled _Revolt in the E.U. _"It says a group calling themselves _Zero's Fist _wiped out an entire squadron of Britannian Knightmares before they could even fight back. "

"_Zero's Fist? _It would be foolish for anyone to believe that I- I mean… Zero… was working with them."

"The name itself carries power," C.C. said. "Remember the impact you made during the Black Rebellion? From then on, the history books started adding you and your resistance movement onto their pages."

"Why is Britannia even getting involved? It's the E.U.'s problem, isn't it?" Lelouch continued to sip his coffee, gazing out the window.

"You know how Nunnally is. She won't look away when she sees a friend in need of assistance. After she assumed the Imperial throne she immediately made peace with the E.U., and now they're Britannia's strongest ally."

"Makes sense," Lelouch said. "What I want to know is why Britannia would send in another battalion without knowing anything more about who they're dealing with."

"Where does it say that?" C.C. asked, not having read the article in its entirety.

"Right here, at the bottom," Lelouch told her, putting his finger down on a line that read:

_The Britannian Empire has sent in a second batallion led by Warrant Officer Clemont Harmen, but has received no word from them._

"Idiots," C.C. said, spilling coffee all over her shirt and onto her jeans.

"You sure are one to talk," Lelouch said. C.C. just rolled her eyes and wiped herself off with a napkin. Lelouch then stood up from his chair and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?" C.C. asked.

"C.C.," Lelouch said. "I want to see this for myself."

"See what?" C.C. said.

"This resistance movement. Zero's Fist, or whatever. Suzaku better not be involved with it."

"Why does it matter anyway?" C.C. muttered, rolling her eyes at Lelouch.

Lelouch crushed the coffee cup in his hand and the hot liquid spilled all over his hand. "Why does it matter?!" Heads turned towards him. Lelouch's face turned bright red, and he saw the looks of surprise on the customers' faces. "Sorry about that," Lelouch said as he shuffled back to the table.

"What do you mean, 'why does it matter'?" Lelouch said in an angry but hushed tone. "Zero is supposed to be a symbol of peace. He's supposed to be the hero who saved the world from Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia. I find It hard to believe that Suzaku would be a part of some resistance group over in the E.U., but in case he is, I can't let him destroy everything we worked for by turning Zero back into a terrorist."

"Think this through, Lelouch. What do you plan to do when you get there? You _are _Lelouch vi Britannia. You're the focal point of the world's hatred. But, above all else, to the rest of the world, you're dead. What do you plan to do without revealing your identity?"

C.C.'s point was valid, but Lelouch still couldn't stomach the idea of just sitting idly by while Zero's reputation as a Knight for Justice was tarnished. "All right," Lelouch agreed. "But, I'm not going to sit around forever. Someone has to put a stop to Zero's Fist, and from the looks of it, Britannia is doing a shit job."

"I didn't plan to stop you," C.C. said. "I have little control over you, now that you're immortal like me. But I can at least get you to stop and think."

"Fine," Lelouch replied, in a somewhat pouting manner.

C.C. was quiet for a moment, seeming to be lost in thought. To Lelouch, this period of silence felt like an eternity. He was beginning to grow impatient and somewhat spooked by C.C.'s sudden muteness, but before he could say anything in an attempt to snap her out of her trance, her eyes widened and she nearly dropped her coffee.

"What is it?" Lelouch asked, frightened by C.C.'s sudden movement.

"I've got an idea," she replied, with a self-satisfied grin on her face. She took Lelouch by the arm and pulled him out into the streets of the Britannian homeland.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_

Clemont began desperately slamming the buttons in his cockpit. _Dammit, dammit, dammit! _His heart began racing, and thoughts were rushing through his head so fast that he never really had time to process them. _Am I really going to end up like the first team that was sent here? I can't fail yet… I CANNOT fail yet!_ In the midst of Clemont's nervous mental chatter, he heard an all too familiar voice coming from the small screen in the middle of his control panel.

"Oh Clemont, don't tell me you've already forgotten about your big red button," Lloyd said in a very judgmental tone. "I knew you were forgetful, but it's so eye-catching. How could you _possibly _miss it?"

Clemont's heart rate slowed back down to it's normal pace. He remembered what Lloyd said about installing an emergency power source. He had invented a revolutionary technology that could convert solar energy into simulated Sakuradite power. The frame could absorb the energy from the sun, allowing a pilot to stay in control even when his Knightmare has been trapped in a Gefjun disturber.

"Thanks Lloyd! You're a life saver… quite literally." Clemont made a mental note to really make Lloyd's efforts worth his while.

"Don't get too excited. Those rebels still have plenty of Knightmares, some of which are very advanced. Even their regular ground units are far more advanced than ours."

Clemont heard Lloyd's warning, but he quite frankly had no interest. "Lloyd, with this Knightmare, I'll be invincible." He had a massive grin spreading across his face, and he was brimming with excitement at the prospect of finally getting to test out his new toy in real combat.

"Listen to me, Clemont," Lloyd warned him. "You're severely outnumbered. The rest of your squad doesn't have the solar converters, and the enemy's Knightmares are upgraded versions of our ground units."

Upon taking a closer look, Clemont noticed that the enemy Knightmares that surrounded his squad were all Sutherlands that had been repainted and equipped with less outdated weaponry and float units. Not only that, but Clemont was vastly outnumbered. The rebels even had some seventh and eighth generation Knightmares themselves. "You're right, Lloyd… Damn."

"Clemont, please, just surrender. If you do, we can have reinforcements over there in a matter of-"

"No, Lloyd," Clemont interrupted. "I'm not surrendering this Knightmare."

"Have you gone mad? The most important thing is the life of the pilot, not the Knightmare! The only chance you have of escaping this one alive would be to just surrender!"

"But… I haven't even gotten a chance to try this out," Clemont argued. "I want to see some limbs fly."

Clemont's new sadistic attitude frightened the sociopathic scientist, and he couldn't even muster the strength to tell Clemont not to resist. At that point, it was already too late. Clemont slammed the red button on his control panel and took off straight into the air, where he was soon pursued by ten of the modified Sutherland pilots. Clemont continued his ascent but began slowly but surely decreasing his speed. Eventually, he had slowed to a complete stop and the rebel units flew right past him. They had flown above the thick clouds and none of the ground units could see what was happening above. Even the rebels who had remained on the ground were too stunned to try to pursue him. The rebel Sutherlands were now above Clemont, and he laughed at the fact that he had gotten his enemies right where he wanted them.

"Damn fools, the lot of you!" Clemont yelled through his microphone. "Be proud that you get to be the first victims of the Goliath's unparalleled fighting abilities!" His self-righteous spiel was broken up into barely intelligible spoutings by menacing laughter. He relished the idea of killing, now that he finally had the opportunity. The timid schoolboy that Clemont had once been disappeared underneath the mask of a hardened soldier, and he took hold of the two control sticks on the sides of his control panel. On the top of the two sticks sat two black buttons, and the newborn warrior pushed the buttons down without hesitation. Within a fraction of a second, the Hadron cannons booted up and Clemont sent blasts through every single rebel unit. Before any of them had time to move, all ten modified Sutherlands had been blown to bits by Clemont's new weapon. Down below, all that the ground units could see were explosions, followed by falling debris.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

"Lelouch, I still don't see why we have to go to the E.U. just to see if Zero is involved with this resistance group," C.C. nagged in an attempt to stop him from going to Europe. "If Zero is involved, news about it should crop up eventually-"

"I have no doubt that Zero is involved," Lelouch replied, cutting off C.C. entirely.

"Then what's the point in going?" C.C. complained. "And besides, how do you expect to get there? You really think that you can just walk into an airport and say, 'Hi, I'm the dead Emperor of Britannia and I'd like two tickets to-"

At this point, Lelouch had gotten fed up with C.C.'s arguing. He delivered a backhand to the side of her cheek, causing her to fall. She caught herself with her hands on the way down, and pushed herself back up. "You don't have to be so brutal, you know."

"Let's hear that plan of yours," Lelouch said, completely ignoring her previous statement.

"Well," C.C. sighed. "It's a little risky, but it's our easiest option right now."

"Go on."

"You wouldn't happen to still have one of your old Zero outfits, would you?"

"Never thought I'd have to put one of these on again," Lelouch said to himself.

"This sure brings back memories," C.C. joked.

"What's the next step?" Lelouch said, once again ignoring the girl's sarcasm.

"I'll tell you, but you might not like it."

"Just spit it out."

"Well," C.C. dragged the word out and started nervously twiddling her thumbs. "We may or may not have to kidnap Nunnally."

Lelouch froze and stood completely still, attempting to process what C.C. had said. "You can't be serious."

"Of course I'm serious."

Lelouch grabbed C.C. by her shirt collar and lifted her up so that she was at eye level with him. "You want me to kidnap my own sister just to gain entry into the E.U.?"

"Well, you seemed so dead set on getting there before. I assumed that you would mind the means."

"Normally I wouldn't have!" Lelouch said. "But to go this far-"

"She won't even know she's being kidnapped. Zero is her protector, and she'll think you're the new Zero. She'll have no idea!"

"But won't she get suspicious if Zero randomly tells her that she has to go to the European Union for some unforeseen reason?"

"To be honest," C.C. admitted, "I didn't really think that far. But if you don't like it, we don't have to go at all. You said yourself that you knew Zero was-"

"I do know Zero is there. But that doesn't mean it's the _real _Zero. And regardless of whether it's Suzaku or not, I can't let anyone ruin Zero's reputation."

"Right, because you didn't ruin it yourself by killing four members of the Royal Family."

"But Zero redeemed himself in the end. I won't allow him to become a symbol of fear again. That time has passed."

"Then I'd love to hear if you have a better plan." C.C. smugly replied. For once, Lelouch felt utterly powerless. This was a feeling he hadn't felt since before he received his Geass and before he started the Black Rebellion.

Lelouch was silent for almost a full minute. C.C. decided not to say anything in hopes that he had a change of heart. Finally, Lelouch stood up. "And if we run into Suzaku?" he mumbled.

"That shouldn't be an issue. According to the newspaper we read in the coffee shop, Nunnally reported Zero to have gone off on some secret mission and he still hasn't returned."

"Did she mention when he left?"

"About two days ago, it said."

"Then everything should go as planned." Lelouch was shaking. C.C. almost felt bad for proposing a plan like this, and she almost wished that he still had his Geass so he could make himself forget.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6**_

Half of the remaining rebel Sutherlands shot up from the ground in order to pursue Clemont, while the other half remained on the ground. Fortunately for Corporal Herth and the Britannian Sutherland pilots, a large piece of debris from the modified Sutherlands hit the ground right on top of one of the Gefjun disturber's links, interrupting the connection just long enough for the Britannian soldiers to move out of the area of effect. Herth shot off of the ground in his Gawain and stopped roughly fifty feet above the rebels who had attempted to give chase to Clemont. The rebel Sutherlands kept on flying, but the corporal's Gawain was equipped with a far more advanced float unit. Flying at twice the enemy's maximum speed, the Gawain sliced through each enemy unit one by one. Down below, however, the Britannians had no such luck.

"We need some-" one soldier had attempted to call for help from the commanding officers, but the enemy's upgraded units tore through them with ease.

"Sir, down below!" Herth shouted. Looking down, Clemont saw the trouble his squad was having. He went down to assist, closely followed by the corporal. Though he was descending in order to engage the rebels, he wasn't thinking of his squad. The power that Lloyd had bestowed upon him filled him with bloodlust, and at that point all he could think of was the fresh blood that awaited him down below. He drew out the Goliath's melee weapon that had been sheathed in a metal scabbard attached to the back of the Knightmare. It at first appeared to be a simple double-edged sword that many Knightmares of that era and even before had come equipped with, but Clemont noticed what seemed to be a switch just underneath the hand guard. Upon flipping said switch, the blade and hand guard retracted into the handle and folded themselves up. The handle then extended outward so that it was almost one and a half times longer than the Goliath itself. At the top, he noticed a metal tip that had begun to spin and glow with neon green light.

The Goliath continued its descent towards the ground. Clemont adjusted the angle at which he was flying so that he was charging headfirst towards the ground. He then swooped sharply up, pointing his spear directly at the crowd of twenty Knightmares ahead of him. Clemont charged into the crowd at a speed nearly too fast for the human eye to conceive. Upon bringing himself to a complete stop, Clemont had five enemy Knightmares impaled on his spear. He noticed that whatever was making the green light at the tip of his spear was making the holes in the enemy units even bigger, and the edges of the holes were also glowing green. As they steadily increased in size, more and more blood began to drip down the shaft of the spear. Clemont shook the spear until his victims had slid off and onto the grass underneath their feet. One by one he picked up the destroyed Knightmares and, using the Goliath's enhanced physical strength, hurled them at the remaining rebel forces. Upon contact, the Knightmares exploded, taking everyone around them with it to its doom. With the enemy squad completely decimated, the Britannian soldiers left standing cheered and reveled in their glorious victory. But Clemont noticed something strange. On his energy radar he noticed an energy signal similar to the energy that emanated from the tip of the Goliath's spear. According to the radar, the energy was coming from behind him, but he saw nothing when he turned around. He dismissed it as a residual reading from his fight with the ground units, and turned back to join in the celebration. Before he could turn around, however, a green light had penetrated the Goliath's thick steel armor.

The next thing he knew, Clemont was lying across the Goliath's large outside viewing screen, blood gushing from his side. The unit had been completely disabled, and in the pitch-blackness of the cockpit, he was positive that he was dead. He forced himself to roll over, and just as he did, a light began filtering through, followed by unintelligible barking from a man whose voice he couldn't recognize. As he regained his senses, Clemont could just barely make out the man's words.

"C'mon, you ninnies!" the voice boomed. "Get the hatch open!" Finally, the hatch of the Goliath opened to its full extent. But at that point, Clemont had already passed out from the blood loss.

When Clemont awoke in a dimly lit room, it was already late at night. He had no idea how long it had been since he was dragged from the hatch, but it hardly mattered to him at that point. He moved his weary hand and felt his side, and the wound from which he lost all that blood was cleaned and bandaged. _Why… did they keep me alive? I have no value to them… do I? _As Clemont contemplated the possible reasons for Zero's Fist sparing him, he noticed just how bizarre this room was. The door appeared to be upside down and the ceiling was made of stone. He felt stupid when he finally realized that he was hanging upside down from the ceiling, his long light brown hair grazing the stone floor. Clemont attempted to swing himself up and untie the knot around his ankles, but to no avail, as his body was still almost too weak to move at all.

"Don't bother," a tinny, robotic male voice cooed. "You've been heavily drugged. With the amount we gave you, it's amazing that you're even conscious…. You're surprisingly strong." Out from the shadows, a tall and slender figure wearing a cloak and mask emerged holding a wooden chair. The figure placed the wooden chair just in front of Clemont's face and sat down.

"So… Zero really is… involved in this?" Clemont could barely summon up the strength to form words, and his speech was broken up into loud whispers by fits of coughing and wheezing.

"Of course I am," Zero said. "Do you really think that anyone would have the guts to falsely claim to be operating under the great and powerful Zero? The simple mention of my name sends chills running down peoples' spines."

Before Clemont could form a response, the walls of the room began to vibrate. Parts of the wooden ceiling splintered and fell to the floor. His head just a foot and a half from the floor, he felt himself fall down and spread across the floor. The dizziness went away after a few moments, but the effects of the drug still lingered. He was still far to weak to lift his body up from the ground. Zero strode across the room and opened the door. He gazed off into the night for a few seconds and closed the door. Zero walked back to his chair, his body quivering.

"J-just ignore that," Zero stuttered. Clemont thought it rather ironic to see the great Zero, the man whose mention would sent chills running down peoples' spines, quivering and stammering. Zero sighed and walked over to a chest sitting in the corner of the room. On the chest was a keypad, and he began pounding away at it. He then opened the chest and pulled out a small syringe.

Clemont heard gunshots from outside, suggesting that Britannia or the E.U. had sent reinforcements. "A small dose of this combined with the numbing drug should kill you within a minute." Zero pressed the point of the syringe to Clemont's upper arm.

_This is it, _Clemont thought. _Now I've failed… Forgive me, Empress Nunnally… and Princess Cornelia… _"All Hail Britannia…" he whispered.

"I was hoping to extract some extra information from you, but it can't be helped. If only your homeland hadn't interfered. Your life would have lasted a little longer."

Clemont continued to whisper. "All Hail Britannia… All Hail Britannia…."

A hand touched Clemont's forearm.

"You can't seriously be giving up that easily."


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7**_

Just two days before Clemont's capture, Lelouch and C.C. were carrying out their plan to gain entrance to the E.U. "I'm surprised they rebuilt Pendragon exactly as it was," Lelouch nostalgically remarked as he observed the towering, elegantly built structures of the Britannian capitol. "I never felt quite as at home in the castle as I did in the clubhouse, though…" He thought back to his days living at Ashford as a common schoolboy, skipping classes to gamble against nobles with Rivalz, going to student council meetings, attending Milly's strange school-wide events… and going under the name _Lelouch Lamprouge._

"Now isn't the time for a nostalgia boner," C.C. remarked. Lelouch ignored her, as he was finding her unnecessary jokes quite irritating. However, at the same time, he found her childish humor comforting. It made him feel as if he wasn't about to kidnap the sister for whom he destroyed the world and created it anew. It made him feel like it was just another day in the clubhouse.

Imperial guards had been stationed all around the city due to the need for increased security after the F.L.E.I.J.A. incident. Despite all this fortification, Lelouch and C.C. both thought it was futile.

"Does Britannia really think that more police officers will help stop a weapon of mass destruction?" C.C. sighed.

"I was thinking the same thing… I wonder if it's something else, though," Lelouch said. "It could have something to do with the whole 'Zero's Fist' thing. Maybe they're afraid the rebels will try to cripple Europe's allies."

"I doubt it. They're such a small group that I doubt they'd even have the firepower to carry out a full-scale invasion."

"I wouldn't go assuming that," Lelouch replied. "What we saw in the news could just be a smaller faction of a larger group. It's smart of Britannia to be cautious. Nunnally must be worried sick about the citizens."

"That would be just like her."

The two walked toward the guard post stationed at the entrance to the city. The six guards operating it were sitting on the ground playing what appeared to be a game of Blackjack. Amidst their laughing and yelling, one guard turned his head to examine the visitors. He immediately alerted his colleagues and they all sprung to their feet and stood at attention. "Welcome back, Lord Zero!" one guard barked.

"Empress Nunnally vi Britannia has been eagerly awaiting your return," said another. "She'll be happy to see that you've arrived safely!"

The same guard who spotted the two piped up as well. He was noticeably smaller than the others, and spoke in a higher voice. Lelouch assumed that he was fresh out of the academy. "Your-" his voice cracked and he shook his head and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Y-your personal transport to the Imperial Palace has been prepared, m-my lord."

"I appreciate it, Private," Lelouch said to the guard in the nicest voice he could muster wearing such an intimidating voice-distorting mask.

Another guard, who was the tallest one in the group, put out his assault rifle in front of C.C. It was equipped with a bayonet, something Lelouch didn't know the Britannian armed forces used. "Wait a minute. Who are you and what's your business?"

"Point that bayonet down before I jam it down your throat, Private," Lelouch threatened. "She is a dear friend of mine, and I brought her here for personal business."

"O-of course, my lord. Please accept my apologies." The tall guard stood at attention once more with the rest of the group.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, the shorter guard suddenly let out a squeak. "Oh!" he yelped. He scurried like a mouse into the control booth and began pressing away at the buttons that lined the desk. The guards all made way and the giant golden gates slowly swung open. Lelouch and C.C. proceeded through the opening and were greeted by a carriage being pulled by two armored horses. The driver stepped out of the carriage and opened up the door for them.

"Right this way, my lord," the driver said with a warm smile on his face. The pair climbed into the carriage and took their seats. The carriage began moving toward the center of the city. It appeared to Lelouch that the citizens had been ordered not to drive on the main streets and obstruct Zero's path. Outside, crowds gathered on the sidewalks to watch Lord Zero's carriage roll by. People were smiling and cheering, clearly very happy to see their savior had returned.

"Master Zero! Master Zero!" they chanted. Lelouch looked out through the window and waved, and much to his surprise, a few teenage girls fainted.

C.C. had to hold back laughter. "Are they really swooning at the sight of a man whose face they've never even seen? Looks like you're a celebrity."

"Society chooses their heroes," Lelouch said. "Once enough people start cheering for them, everyone else joins in. If you look up 'mass stupidity' in a dictionary, that would be the definition."

"How cynical of you," C.C. remarked.

"Doesn't the truth sting?"

The carriage slowed to a stop and the driver once again opened the door for Zero and his companion. They were on the castle grounds, at the end of the path that led to the gate in front of the royal family's residence. Lelouch stepped out of the carriage and C.C. soon followed. He turned around and observed the grassy fields around him, and the massive pond where he spent so much of his childhood. He remembered the nights he would spend with his mother, Euphy, and Nunnally, lying on the grass, pointing out the various constellations. Sometimes he wished he could go back to the days prior to his banishment to Japan, when he was so close with his sisters, and when he would play chess with his older brothers. He even remembered Schneizel, his only brother whom he could never beat. But, he remembered the day when he finally called checkmate on the only man who could outsmart him.

Lelouch turned and walked through the gates, with C.C. at his heels. However, the guards stepped in front of C.C. and pushed her back. "Nobody enters the Imperial Family's house uninvited," the guards said. She was slightly frightened by their simultaneous speech.

"I invited her," Lelouch barked. "I'll tell you what I told the last guard who threatened her. Step aside or I'll take that rifle from you and jam the bayonet down your windpipe. Are we clear?"

The guards hesitated for a moment. "Yes, my lord," they said, this time slightly out of synch. They stepped out of C.C.'s path.

"Thanks," Lelouch said with a sly smile on his face, although nobody else could see it. The guards were too stunned to speak. The two started up yet another path, this time on their way to the front door of the Imperial Family's mansion. Lelouch took his first step onto the porch stairs, and was immediately greeted by swinging doors and a familiar face.

"Zero!" Nunnally gleefully shouted. The sight of his sister after the past two long years warmed his heart, and even brought tears to his eyes.

"Gre-" he attempted to speak, but it was obvious that he was choking up. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Greetings, my empress," Lelouch said again, this time using his usual commanding voice. "Has everything been alright in my absence?"

"Everything's been just fine, Zero! The guard you left with me is absolutely superb!" She gestured over to her right, and Lelouch was greeted with the typical emotionless facial expression from Anya Alstreim.

"I appreciate you looking after the empress in my absence, Lady Alstreim," Lelouch said, approaching her to shake her hand.

Lelouch and Anya shook hands and Anya looked down at her cell phone. "Recorded," she said in her usual monotonous voice. "As Knight of Five, it's my duty to defend the Imperial Family and all of the citizens of Britannia."

Anya was beginning to remind Lelouch of Suzaku. "You've done a fine job," he said to her. "But… could you please leave the empress and I alone for a moment? We need to speak in private. Is that alright, my lady?"

Lelouch had forgotten C.C. was there until she tugged on his arm. She leaned in and whispered, "What about me?"

Almost immediately after, Anya chimed in. "What about your friend?"

"She's not just my friend," Lelouch replied. "I've assigned her to be Nunnally's guardian when I'm away." C.C. shot him a dirty look.

"I thought that was my job," Anya replied, this time showing a bit of disappointment in her voice and facial expression.

"It was, but I realized that you still have your duties as a Knight of the Round. It would be unwise to hinder you from carrying out your job." Lelouch was impressed with himself at the speed at which he formed a response. "Please understand that-"

"That's fine, I suppose," Anya interrupted. "I'll be going now." She walked out the door without saying a word to Lelouch, Nunnally, or C.C., but as she was walking down the stairs outside Lelouch could have sworn he heard her mutter, "Recorded."

He turned back to Nunnally. "My lady, there's been-" C.C. cut him off, much to his annoyance.

"Zero's Fist has requested an audience. Purely diplomatic of course, and you will be heavily guarded." She looked over to Lelouch. "That's what you wanted to say, right? Unless there's something between you two that I don't know about."

"No, that's…" Lelouch looked down at his feet. "That's all. You have every right to decline the invitation-" Nunnally cut him off just as C.C. had moments before.

"I will go," she said in a firm, commanding voice. "If I don't, they may come to us. I can't risk that."

Lelouch let out an inaudible sigh. "As you wish. We will depart for the E.U. as soon as you're ready." He bowed to Nunnally and walked out of the mansion. C.C. bowed as well and started after him.

As the two were walking back down the path towards the house gate, Lelouch looked over to C.C. "You do realize the flaw in this plan, right?"

"That the rebels didn't really request an audience? That they will shoot on sight if a Britannian flag enters their field of vision?"

"So you did realize it?"

"Not until just now."


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter 8**_

For a moment, Clemont's vision went completely blank, but he was still conscious. _Am I dead…? _He thought to himself. But seconds later, he was suddenly sitting alone in a large, blue room.

"Do you want to live?" a voice said, seeming to be coming from every direction. Clemont recognized the voice as the voice he heard before his vision went blank.

"Who are you?" Clemont yelled.

"That's not important," the voice quickly shot back. "Do you want to _live?_"

Clemont hesitated for a moment. "I'm not afraid to die for my empress!"

"Don't make me ask again. Do you want to live?"

This time, Clemont sighed. "Yes."

"I can give you the power to get out of this alive," the voice said. "But, the power of the king will condemn you to a life of solitude. Are you prepared to accept that?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you accept this contract, you will live a life different from any other. How you use this power is up to you. But know that I will be with you until you die. There's something I want as well, and if I give you this power, you must help me achieve it. Do you accept the terms of my contract?"

Clemont was silent for a while. The voice seemed to be patient enough, fortunately. He just sat still. He was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the situation. _There's no way this is real. I must be having some kind of dream. Maybe Zero just put me to sleep. But then again, if it is a dream, I really have nothing to lose. And if it isn't and what the voice is saying is true, then accepting this "contract" is my only hope._

Finally, Clemont looked up. "I accept the terms of your contract."

"A wise decision," the voice boomed. It bounced off of the nonexistent walls. Clemont suddenly felt himself feeling sleepier. He tried to wake himself up, but his eyelids kept getting heavier. He felt himself falling, his head about to touch the ground…

His head slammed the ground, and at that very moment, his eyes shot open. The syringe Zero was holding flew out of his hand and shattered as it hit the wall, causing the mysterious drug to splatter all over the stone floor. Zero flew across the room, pushed back by an unknown force. Clemont had no idea how, but he knew that this was his doing. The voice was telling the truth. As Zero tried to pick himself up, Clemont pushed him back down. He didn't even need to make physical contact. He stared directly at Zero and looked up towards the ceiling. As he did this, Zero's helpless ragdoll-like figure shot through the ceiling. He looked back down, and he flew back toward the floor, landing face-first, shattering his mask. Zero could only moan, his face sliced open by shards of glass, his entire body splintered with wood from flying through the ceiling. He was lying in a pool of his own blood. Clemont closed his eyes and opened them again, breaking the telekinetic connection between himself and Zero. He walked towards the beaten figure lying before him and flipped it over.

Standing at the back of the room, Lelouch's eyes widened at the sight of the man behind the mask. The broken, helpless figure was a face Lelouch hadn't seen in nearly fifteen years.

"The Fallen Prince," Clemont snarled. "Alexander ci Britannia, right?" Clemont stomped on his stomach, and the prince coughed so viciously that he threw up on himself. "They said you died in battle when Britannia invaded Korea." Clemont kicked Alexander in the ribs, causing him to moan in pain.

"Britannia…" Alexander groaned. "They turned on me… Lady Marianne-" Clemont stomped Alexander's front teeth out.

"You attempted to desert. Charles zi Britannia ordered your termination himself."

"No! I… I…" Clemont took the handgun attached to Alexander's belt and pressed it to his skull.

"You're the traitor, you cowardly piece of cow shit." Clemont squeezed the trigger and the prince closed his eyes.

"Death to Brit-!" the shot caused Clemont's ears to ring and blood to splatter across the room, even hitting Lelouch's mask. Alexander had died mid-sentence, his mouth gaping open with the curse frozen on his face. Lelouch stepped out of the shadows. Clemont heard the footsteps and turned, pointing the gun at Lelouch's face.

"You did well. I see you're getting comfortable with your Geass?" Lelouch said somewhat sarcastically.

"Is that what you call this power?" Clemont said with a murderous look in his eye. "Geass? Is that it?" His shoulder blade length hair was a mess and he looked like a teenager who had just gotten out of bed. Lelouch found it hard to take him seriously.

"That's right," Lelouch slyly replied.

"And what's that you're wearing?" Clemont snapped, referring to Lelouch's Zero outfit. "Are you really Zero, or are you just another fake?"

"I'm the real deal, alright."

"I find that hard to believe." Clemont's hand began to shake. "The real Zero would have helped me. He would have killed Alexander before he could drug me."

"I _did _help you. I gave you that power." Lelouch was beginning to get irritated with Clemont's misdirected rage.

"Oh, you mean this power?" Clemont picked Lelouch up and threw him against the wall like he did with the prince, and he slid to the ground. "Then prove it to me! Prove that you're the 'real deal'!"

"Gladly." Lelouch opened out his arms, making himself an easy target. "Shoot me, see what happens."

"I wasn't born yesterday. I know what happens when someone a bullet to the chest." Clemont pulled the trigger and the bullet pierced Lelouch's heart, and his head slumped down on his shoulder. Clemont holstered the gun to his own belt and walked towards the door.

"I told you," Lelouch said coolly. "Do you believe me now?"

Clemont turned around and was shocked to see that the wound on Zero's chest had completely healed. "Just _die _already!" he screamed as he fired more shots at Zero as he stood up. He just walked towards Clemont, not seeming to even feel the pain of getting shot, although he was bleeding profusely. He continued shooting until the magazine was empty. He attempted to walk towards the door but tripped due to his legs shaking from the nerves. He crawled backward away from Lelouch until he hit the door. After that point he remained still staring at Zero.

"I told you I would be here until you died," Lelouch cooed. Clemont attempted to use his Geass on Lelouch, but this time it had no effect.

"Why won't it work?!" Clemont screamed. "It worked earlier!"

"I figured out how your Geass manifested itself while watching you demolish that prince," Lelouch coolly replied. "Good work, by the way. He was a dickhead. But anyway, your Geass doesn't work on me because I gave it to you. I just played along the first time and threw myself back." Clemont still had the same terrified expression on his face. "Why are you so scared? I'm not going to kill you. I need you to do me a favor and fulfill the contract. You can't do that if you're dead."

Clemont stood up slowly, holding himself up on the wall. "So…you were telling the truth?" he muttered. "This power is called… Geass, right?"

"Correct."

"Well… what is it?" Clemont asked.

Lelouch had to try to remember the explanation C.C. gave him when he first received his own Geass. He gave up trying to remember and just improvised based on what he learned from experience. "Geass is a power that manifests itself differently for each user." Lelouch held up a mirror. Clemont saw, in his gray eyes, a strange sigil that seemed to resemble a bird. Lelouch pulled down the collar of his shirt to reveal the same sigil on the front of his neck. "See? This identifies me as someone who is able to bestow the power of Geass on anyone I wish."

"But why me?" Clemont asked. "Why did you come here? I'm a soldier. There was no reason for you to save me. I don't matter to you."

Lelouch thought back to the day in the warehouse when C.C. gave him his Geass. "Well, to be honest-" the door crashed down onto the floor. In front of the two stood a tall, muscular man dressed in clothing similar to that of the soldiers of _Zero's Fist, _but it was cleaner and he wore a longer coat that fell to his knees. He appeared to be a high-ranking member.

"General Callum Tesla, at your service," the man said. He looked down at the floor and saw the lifeless body of Prince Alexander. "So Zero is dead, huh? I was the only one who knew his identity, but now it looks like-" Tesla turned his head and looked at Lelouch. "A second Zero?" he asked, his eyes full of wonder.

"The original Zero, in the flesh," Lelouch said, taking a bow.

"Funny, that's exactly what Alexander said. Not that I believed him, but that doesn't mean I should believe you." Tesla removed his hat and coat, revealing his completely hairless head and two ornate gold-trimmed broadswords strapped to either side of his belt. "Well, since you're palling around with this Britannian dog, I'm afraid you both have to die." He pointed one sword at Clemont. "This one is for you…" He pointed the other at Lelouch. "And this one is for you." He charged at Lelouch first. Lelouch moved so fast that Clemont couldn't tell what he was doing until after he did it. He had drawn two submachine guns that had been completely concealed before. As Lelouch began firing, Tesla stopped in his tracks. He began waving his swords, deflecting the bullets behind him. "You won't hit me! These swords are made of an unnamed metal just recently discovered in the mines of the E.U.!"

"You'll tire out," Lelouch calmly retorted.

"Like hell I will! I've been training my body intensely all my life! My speed, strength and stamina are ten times you could ever hope yours to ever be!"

Lelouch just sighed as he ran out of bullets. Almost on cue, a single bullet flew threw an open window and passed clean through Tesla's skull. His body fell to the floor and he lay across Alexander's corpse. Lelouch walked towards the window and gave a thumbs-up to C.C. who was sitting on top of one of the taller buildings in the village, sniper rifle in hand. Clemont followed Lelouch towards the window. "Who's that?" he asked, looking up at C.C.

"A good friend of mine," Lelouch replied. It took him a moment to think of a fake name for her. "Charlotte. She's from the New Zealand region of Britannia." C.C. waved. The battle between Britannia and ZF continued raging. "We should go," Lelouch said with a quick change of tone. Clemont walked to the chest from which Alexander got the syringe and pulled out two bags of extra ammunition, some medical supplies, and the key to a Knightmare frame.

"Hey," Clemont said. "Why don't you take off that mask and show me your true identity?" Lelouch wanted to kick himself for not realizing he would probably ask something like that.

"Tell you what," Lelouch said. "Make it past a month and you've got yourself a deal."

"I suppose that works," Clemont agreed, although he was obviously a little disappointed.

"Remember, you have a contract to fulfill, so try not to die on me," Lelouch said. "Oh, and try not to overuse your Geass. It becomes hard to control when you use it too much. I would know."

"Noted," Clemont replied. He looked over at Tesla's body and walked over to remove the swords from his belt. "You won't be needing these," he whispered as he strapped the swords to his waist.

Lelouch threw his robe onto the floor. "This'll just get in the way." He held out his hand and Clemont tossed one of the ammunition bags to him. He caught it and refilled his SMG's. He then put the bag on his back.

Clemont looked at Lelouch and smiled. "Shall we?"

"Sure, if you're so eager…" Lelouch replied, not excited for all the physical activity. Clemont drew out his handgun and kicked the door down. They sprinted outside into the night and the midst of the crossfire.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter 9**_

It was a warm night, which made Lelouch even bitterer about the intense amounts of physical activity he would have to partake in. Regardless, he had gotten some exercise in the past two years he spent travelling the world with C.C., so the running and climbing came as less of a challenge. Though he was much more fit than he was during the Black Rebellion, he still had the same attitude about physical activity.

"Mind over matter," Lelouch told himself over and over as he ran across the village in which ZF had set up a base of operations. He was struggling to keep up with Clemont, who had trained vigorously in the Imperial Academy.

"C'mon, Zero!" Clemont yelled. "I have a bullet hole in my side and I'm _still _moving faster than you!"

"This kind of crap is for soldiers!" Lelouch yelled back. "I'm a strategist, not a fighter!" A gunshot whizzed past Lelouch's ear, causing him to fall over in shock. Clemont looked back to see Lelouch on the ground, attempting to stay underneath the gunshots. To him, it looked like Lelouch had been shot, and he ran back to try and help.

"Zero!" Clemont barked. "Get up, a chopper is coming to take us to the Empress' airship!"

"I'm fine, I'm fine! I'm just a little tied up over here." Lelouch tried to stand up and find cover, but the heavy blanket of gunshots over his head made it impossible to move without army crawling out in the middle of the battlefield.

Clemont remembered when Lelouch first appeared in the room in which he was being imprisoned. "Hey, wait!" Clemont said. "How come you're ducking to avoid the gunfire when earlier you took an entire round of bullets to the chest without flinching?"

"It still hurt, I'm just a good-" Lelouch yelped in pain as a bullet struck his left calf. "Actor…" he finished.

"For god's sake," Clemont groaned. He began to crawl across the battlefield underneath the cloud of gunfire, holding on to Lelouch's heel and dragging his still bleeding companion. "Why is that thing taking so long to heal? I shot you twelve times earlier and-" Lelouch cut him off.

"Give it a minute!" Lelouch yelled. "It's almost-" He looked down at his wound. "Done!"


End file.
